not the injurious treatment of the manCHAP. born blind, (who spoke with fo much faga- II. city) demonftrate, that nothing could withftand his teftimony, and the evidence of a miracle wrought on his perfon? by cafting him out, did they in the least cancel the truth? by curfing him, did they destroy the benefit he received? by boafting themselves to be difciples of Mofes, did they extenuate the reality of the miracle? on one fide there appears nothing but paffion and calumny; on the other, nothing but what is fimple, fincere, conftant and coherent, infinitely furpaffing the low jealoufy and malice of the pharifees, who by their utmoft efforts did but illuftrate the truth, and add that evidence which they fain would have wrefted from it.

ARTICLE IV.

One fuch miracle is an evident proof of Chriff's divinity, and of his principal myfteries: depth of Chrift's defigns in a miracle, which, in its circumftances, unites almost all the parts of the Chriftian religion.

J'

ESUS having heard that they had excommunicated the blind man whom he had cured; " and when he had found him,

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" he

*John ix. 35, &c.

PART" he said unto him, Doft thou believe on the IV. "Son of God? He answered, Who is he, "Lord, that I might believe on him? Jefus "faid unto him, Thou haft both * seen him, " and it is he that talketh with the. And "he faid, Lord, I believe. And he worship"ped him."

See the purport of the miracle. It is operated to prove Jefus Chrift the Son of God; to oblige us to believe in him, to induce us to worship him. It is a proof of all the effential points of Religion; and its evidence, being palpable and obvious to fenfe, confirms the myfteries which are above human comprehenfion, fuch as thofe of the Trinity, Incarnation, Redemption of man, and of others which have their dependence on these. The light of one fingle miracle, operated in order to establish truth, verifies all these; and it is Christ himself, who prompts us to make this use of it, by requiring the man born blind to believe in him, as the Son of God, and to adore him in this quality with an unlimited worship.

Jefus adds: "For judgment I am come into "this world: that they which fee not, might

fee; and that they which fee, might be "made blind. And fome of the pharifees, "which were with him, heard thefe words, "and faid unto him, Are we blind also? Je"fus faid unto them, If ye were blind, ye "fhould

*Vidifti, put for the prefent according to the Hebrews; for it does not appear that this man had feen Chrift before that time. † John ix. 39, &c.

*fhould have no fin: but now ye fay, WeCHAP. *fee; therefore your fin remaineth."

These laft words difcover the whole extent of Chrift's defign in this miracle, in which are all the circumftances united, and which give to those that appear fingular an additional beauty, as beauty, as well as certainty. These inftru&t us, that Christ, as Eternal Wifdom, had, from the beginning of the world, made choice of the man born blind to represent all mankind, Jews as well as Gentiles, who were all blind by birth, and who could not obtain their cure either by the law, or natural philofophy, but by faith alone in the Meffiah; not fuch a Meffiah as the Jews imagine, but fuch as the prophets foretold: and it is for this reason that the blindnefs of that man, whe was reduced to want (and who by this second characteristic points out the mifery and indigence of all men) is not the effect of his own particular fin or of his parents, because it is a general and univerfal symbol.

None but the very hand which fashionedman, was capable of repairing him, and of reftoring what he had loft. A new earth must be tempered to repair the defects of the clay, and the mouth of Wisdom must join with his hand in retouching it.

But it is not by reftoring to man that sublime understanding, and that exalted wisdom which he loft by fin, that the Word made flesh defigned to enlighten him. On the contrary, he adds to his natural blindness a voluntary and artificial one. He demands of him

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the

II.

PART the facrifice of his understanding and reafon to IV. restore him to fight, and he applied to his eyes already clofed, a remedy, which feemed to threaten a quite contrary effect. Instead of appearing to him in the majefty of a Creator, he conceals himself under the frailties incident to finful man. He only fhews the weakness of an infant, the difgrace and ignominy of the crofs, the inability of a man dead and buried. He put the clay upon his eyes; he obliges him to carry it without being afhamed: and he promises him, that it will become a principle of light to him, if he wafhed himself at the pool of Siloam, and received, with faith, the baptifm, whose water was dyed with the blood of him that was fent.

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In effect, the recompence of fuch a faith, is in discovering the admirable riches of wisdom, fortitude, and fanctity, in thofe mysteries, which have the appearance only of imbecillity and folly: in finding an infinite gain for the facrifice of reafon and human wisdom; and in perceiving, that he would for ever have remained in darkness, had he been incredulous or difobedient,

Those who are wife in their own eyes deny him. They value themselves on their knowledge. They difpute, they reason, they are fufpicious of all the miracles, and of all the facts which establish religion. They demand reafon in every thing; they would have the myfteries labour under no obfcurity: in fine, they fay, as they have eyes, they defire

to fee; and are ignorant that thus they incur CHAP. the judgment, which Chrift exercises on the II. proud even in this life, by delivering them up to their own darkness, which they count light; and by fuffering their incredulity to render their fins irremiffible, whereas faith in their Saviour would obliterate them. "For judgment, fays he, I am come into this world; that they which fee not, might fee; "and that they which fee, might be made

blind. If ye owned yourselves blind, you "would have no fin;" as faith would have remitted it. But the prefumption, which inclines you to imagine ye fee, caufes you to remain in fin by concealing the remedy. It infinitely behoves thofe who willingly harbour doubts concerning faith, to hearken with fear, or at least with refpect, to these words which fo nearly concern them. And very unhappy will they be, if they are more inclined to feel,, than to believe the truth,

* John ix. 39, &c.